U.S. patent application number 14/231256 was filed with the patent office on 2015-10-01 for purchase price optimization for prescription product purchase orders.
This patent application is currently assigned to MCKESSON CORPORATION. The applicant listed for this patent is MCKESSON CORPORATION. Invention is credited to Angela Codding, Andrew Maurer, Richard Selby.
Application Number | 20150278924 14/231256 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 54191039 |
Filed Date | 2015-10-01 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150278924 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Maurer; Andrew ; et
al. |
October 1, 2015 |
PURCHASE PRICE OPTIMIZATION FOR PRESCRIPTION PRODUCT PURCHASE
ORDERS
Abstract
Systems, methods, and computer-readable media for performing
purchase price optimization for a prescription product purchase
order are disclosed. At least a portion of a desired quantity of
the prescription product that is not eligible for reduced pricing
may be substituted for one or more generic products corresponding
to the prescription product that are eligible for reduced
pricing.
Inventors: |
Maurer; Andrew; (Atlanta,
GA) ; Codding; Angela; (Phoenix, AZ) ; Selby;
Richard; (Duluth, GA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
MCKESSON CORPORATION |
San Francisco |
CA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
MCKESSON CORPORATION
San Francisco
CA
|
Family ID: |
54191039 |
Appl. No.: |
14/231256 |
Filed: |
March 31, 2014 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
705/26.81 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 30/0635
20130101 |
International
Class: |
G06Q 30/06 20060101
G06Q030/06 |
Claims
1. A method, comprising: receiving, by one or more computers
comprising one or more processors and on behalf of a requestor, a
request for a desired quantity of a prescription product;
determining, by the one or more computers, that at least a portion
of the desired quantity of the prescription product is not eligible
for a first reduced price in accordance with a drug pricing
program; identifying, by the one or more computers, one or more
candidate generic products corresponding to the prescription
product; selecting, by the one or more computers, at least one
candidate generic product from among the one or more candidate
generic products based at least in part on an eligibility of each
of the at least one candidate generic product for a respective
corresponding reduced price in accordance with the drug pricing
program; generating, by the one or more computers, proposed order
information, wherein generating comprises substituting the at least
a portion of the desired quantity of the prescription product that
is not eligible for the first reduced price with an equivalent
quantity of the at least one candidate generic product; and
transmitting, by the one or more computers, the proposed order
information for presentation to the requestor.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that at least a
portion of the desired quantity of the prescription product is not
eligible for the first reduced price comprises: retrieving, by the
one or more computers, dispensing data for the prescription
product; evaluating, by the one or more computers, the dispensing
data for the prescription product to determine a number of
dispensed units that qualify for the first reduced price;
determining, by the one or more computers, a replenishment
threshold corresponding to the desired quantity; and determining,
by the one or more computers, that the number of dispensed units
does not meet or exceed the replenishment threshold.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the replenishment threshold
comprises a summation of multiple replenishment increment
thresholds.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying one or more candidate
generic products comprises: determining, by the one or more
computers, an identifier of the prescription product; and
accessing, by the one or more computers, generic equivalency data
indicating a correspondence between the identifier of the
prescription product and one or more additional identifiers
associated with the identifier of the prescription product;
identifying, by the one or more computers, a set of generic
products corresponding to the prescription product based at least
in part on the correspondence between the identifier of the
prescription product and one or more additional identifiers;
accessing, by the one or more computers, at least one of pricing
data associated with the set of generic products or distribution
center inventory data associated with the set of generic products;
and identifying, by the one or more computers, the one or more
candidate generic products from the set of generic products based
at least in part on the at least one of the pricing data or the
distribution center inventory data.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one candidate
generic product comprises a first candidate generic product, and
wherein selecting the first candidate generic product comprises:
accessing, by the one or more computers, dispensing data for the
first candidate generic product; determining, by the one or more
computers, a quantity of the first candidate generic product
eligible for the respective reduced price corresponding to the
first candidate generic product; and determining, by the one or
more computers, that the quantity of the first candidate generic
product is greater than or equal to the desired quantity of the
prescription product.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one candidate
generic product comprises a first candidate generic product, and
wherein selecting the first candidate generic product comprises:
accessing, by the one or more computers, dispensing data for the
first candidate generic product; determining, by the one or more
computers, a quantity of the first candidate generic product
eligible for the respective reduced price corresponding to the
first candidate generic product; and determining, by the one or
more computers, that the quantity of the first candidate generic
product is greater than a respective quantity of each other
candidate generic product eligible for the respective reduced price
corresponding to each other candidate generic product.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one candidate
generic product comprises a first candidate generic product and a
second candidate generic product, and wherein selecting the first
candidate generic product and the second candidate generic product
comprises: accessing, by the one or more computers, dispensing data
for the first candidate generic product and the second candidate
generic product; determining, by the one or more computers, a first
quantity of the first candidate generic product eligible for the
respective reduced price corresponding to the first candidate
generic product and a second quantity of the second candidate
generic product eligible for the respective reduced price
corresponding to the second candidate generic product; and
determining, by the one or more computers, that the sum of the
first quantity of the first candidate generic product and the
second quantity of the second candidate generic product is greater
than or equal to the desired quantity of the prescription
product.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one candidate
generic product comprises a first candidate generic product, and
wherein selecting the first candidate generic product comprises:
accessing, by the one or more computers, dispensing data for the
first candidate generic product; determining, by the one or more
computers, a quantity of the first candidate generic product
eligible for the respective reduced price corresponding to the
first candidate generic product; and determining, by the one or
more computers, that the quantity of the first candidate generic
product is greater than or equal to the at least a portion of the
desired quantity of the prescription product that is not eligible
for the first reduced price.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first reduced price is a
first 340B price, and wherein the respective corresponding reduced
price for each of the at least one candidate generic product is a
respective corresponding 340B price.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least a portion of the
prescription product that is not eligible for the first reduced
price must be purchased at a Wholesale Acquisition Cost (WAC)
price, and wherein the respective reduced price corresponding to
each of the at least one candidate generic product is a price less
than the WAC price.
11. A system, comprising; at least one memory storing
computer-executable instructions; and at least one processor
configured to access the at least one memory and to execute the
computer-executable instructions to: receive, on behalf of a
requestor, a request for a desired quantity of a prescription
product; determine that at least a portion of the desired quantity
of the prescription product is not eligible for a first reduced
price in accordance with a drug pricing program; identify one or
more candidate generic products corresponding to the prescription
product; select at least one candidate generic product from among
the one or more candidate generic products based at least in part
on an eligibility of each of the at least one candidate generic
product for a respective corresponding reduced price in accordance
with the drug pricing program; generate proposed order information,
wherein generating comprises substituting the at least a portion of
the desired quantity of the prescription product that is not
eligible for the first reduced price with an equivalent quantity of
the at least one candidate generic product; and transmit the
proposed order information for presentation to the requestor.
12. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one processor is
configured to determine that at least a portion of the desired
quantity of the prescription product is not eligible for the first
reduced price by executing the computer-executable instructions to:
retrieve dispensing data for the prescription product; evaluate the
dispensing data for the prescription product to determine a number
of dispensed units that qualify for the first reduced price;
determine a replenishment threshold corresponding to the desired
quantity; and determine that the number of dispensed units does not
meet or exceed the replenishment threshold.
13. The system of claim 11, wherein the replenishment threshold
comprises a summation of multiple replenishment increment
thresholds.
14. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one processor is
configured to identify the one or more candidate generic products
by executing the computer-executable instructions to: determine an
identifier of the prescription product; and access generic
equivalency data indicating a correspondence between the identifier
of the prescription product and one or more additional identifiers
associated with the identifier of the prescription product;
identify a set of generic products corresponding to the
prescription product based at least in part on the correspondence
between the identifier of the prescription product and one or more
additional identifiers; access at least one of pricing data
associated with the set of generic products or distribution center
inventory data associated with the set of generic products; and
identify the one or more candidate generic products from the set of
generic products based at least in part on the at least one of the
pricing data or the distribution center inventory data.
15. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one candidate
generic product comprises a first candidate generic product, and
wherein the at least one processor is configured to select the
first candidate generic product by executing the
computer-executable instructions to: access dispensing data for the
first candidate generic product; determine a quantity of the first
candidate generic product eligible for the respective reduced price
corresponding to the first candidate generic product; and determine
that the quantity of the first candidate generic product is greater
than or equal to the desired quantity of the prescription
product.
16. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one candidate
generic product comprises a first candidate generic product, and
wherein the at least one processor is configured to select the
first candidate generic product by executing the
computer-executable instructions to: access dispensing data for the
first candidate generic product; determine a quantity of the first
candidate generic product eligible for the respective reduced price
corresponding to the first candidate generic product; and determine
that the quantity of the first candidate generic product is greater
than a respective quantity of each other candidate generic product
eligible for the respective reduced price corresponding to each
other candidate generic product.
17. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one candidate
generic product comprises a first candidate generic product and a
second candidate generic product, and wherein the at least one
processor is configured to select the first candidate generic
product and the second candidate generic product by executing the
computer-executable instructions to: access dispensing data for the
first candidate generic product and the second candidate generic
product; determine a first quantity of the first candidate generic
product eligible for the respective reduced price corresponding to
the first candidate generic product and a second quantity of the
second candidate generic product eligible for the respective
reduced price corresponding to the second candidate generic
product; and determine that the sum of the first quantity of the
first candidate generic product and the second quantity of the
second candidate generic product is greater than or equal to the
desired quantity of the prescription product.
18. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one candidate
generic product comprises a first candidate generic product, and
wherein the at least one processor is configured to select the
first candidate generic product by executing the
computer-executable instructions to: access dispensing data for the
first candidate generic product; determine a quantity of the first
candidate generic product eligible for the respective reduced price
corresponding to the first candidate generic product; and determine
that the quantity of the first candidate generic product is greater
than or equal to the at least a portion of the desired quantity of
the prescription product that is not eligible for the first reduced
price.
19. The system of claim 11, wherein the first reduced price is a
first 340B price, and wherein the respective corresponding reduced
price for each of the at least one candidate generic product is a
respective corresponding 340B price.
20. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least a portion of the
prescription product that is not eligible for the first reduced
price must be purchased at a Wholesale Acquisition Cost (WAC)
price, and wherein the respective reduced price corresponding to
each of the at least one candidate generic product is a price less
than the WAC price.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] This disclosure relates generally to purchase price
optimization for prescription product purchase orders, and more
particularly, to identifying a generic equivalent that can be
purchased at one or more reduced prices and substituted for at
least a portion of the desired quantity of a corresponding
prescription product.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Various government sponsored and non-government sponsored
programs and entities exist for providing reduced costs for
prescription products such as prescription medications, medical
devices, and other prescription products. Such programs or entities
may include, for example, the federal 340B drug pricing program,
healthcare group purchasing organizations (GPOs), patient
assistance programs (PAPs) available through pharmaceutical
companies or governmental organizations such as Medicare or
Medicaid, and so forth.
[0003] In 1992, Section 340B of the Public Health Service Act was
enacted under Section 602 of the Veterans Healthcare Act of 1992.
Section 340B requires drug manufacturers to provide outpatient
drugs to eligible healthcare centers, clinics, and hospitals
(referred to as "covered entities") at a reduced price. This
reduced price (sometimes interchangeably referred to as the "340B
price," the "Public Health Service (PHS) price," the "602 price,"
or the like) represents a price that a covered entity would have to
pay for select prescription drugs dispensed on an outpatient basis
and is often significantly lower than the Wholesale Acquisition
Cost (WAC) price for such drugs.
[0004] A "covered drug" under the 340B program may include, for
example, a Federal Drug Administration (FDA) approved prescription
drug, an over-the-counter (OTC) drug that is written on a
prescription, and so forth. Covered entities eligible to
participate in the 340B program generally include entities that
serve indigent or historically disenfranchised populations or that
focus on treating particular disease conditions such as, for
example, federally-qualified health centers, hospitals that treat
indigent patients through a disproportionate share hospital (DSH)
program, children's hospitals, free standing cancer clinics, family
planning projects, state-operated AIDS Drug Assistance Programs
(ADAPs), black lung clinics receiving federal funds, and so forth.
Prescription drug purchases at the 340B price represent a
significant cost savings over the typical costs for such drugs. The
cost savings can, in turn, be passed on to patients, thereby
reducing the overall cost of patient care to both healthcare
providers and patients.
[0005] The 340B program specifies a number of restrictions on the
type of prescription drugs and the conditions under which such
drugs must be prescribed and dispensed in order to qualify for 340B
pricing. For example, a covered drug may need to be dispensed in an
outpatient setting to qualify for 340B pricing. It is often
difficult for covered entities (e.g., hospital pharmacies) to
effectively track the conditions under which prescription drugs are
dispensed (e.g., whether a drug was dispensed to an outpatient or
an inpatient), and thus, it may be difficult for covered entities
to ensure that they are receiving the best possible price when
replenishing their inventory (e.g., a 340B price).
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] The detailed description is set forth with reference to the
accompanying drawings. The drawings are provided for purposes of
illustration only and merely depict example embodiments of the
disclosure. The drawings are provided to facilitate understanding
of the disclosure and shall not be deemed to limit the breadth,
scope, or applicability of the disclosure. In the drawings, the
left-most digit(s) of a reference numeral identifies the drawing in
which the reference numeral first appears. The use of the same
reference numerals indicates similar, but not necessarily the same
or identical components. However, different reference numerals may
be used to identify similar components as well. Various embodiments
may utilize elements or components other than those illustrated in
the drawings, and some elements and/or components may not be
present in various embodiments. The use of singular terminology to
describe a component or element may, depending on the context,
encompass a plural number of such components or elements and vice
versa.
[0007] FIG. 1 is a schematic depiction of an illustrative system
architecture for performing purchase price optimizations for
prescription product purchase orders in accordance with one or more
example embodiments of the disclosure.
[0008] FIG. 2 depicts hardware and software components of an
illustrative price optimization computer in accordance with one or
more example embodiments of the disclosure.
[0009] FIG. 3 is an illustrative hybrid system and data flow
diagram depicting example data communications in connection with a
purchase price optimization for a prescription product purchase
order in accordance with one or more example embodiments of the
disclosure.
[0010] FIGS. 4A-4B are process flow diagrams of an illustrative
method for performing a purchase price optimization for a
prescription product purchase order in accordance with one or more
example embodiments of the disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS
Overview
[0011] Example embodiments of the disclosure relate to systems,
methods, computer-readable or machine-readable media, techniques,
and methodologies for performing purchase price optimizations for
prescription product purchase orders. While example embodiments of
the disclosure may be described in connection with prescription
drugs eligible for reduced pricing under a sponsored program (e.g.,
the federal 340B drug pricing program), it should be appreciated
that embodiments of the disclosure are applicable to any
prescription product eligible for reduced pricing under any
suitable pricing program.
[0012] Various government or non-government sponsored programs
exist for providing covered entities with prescription drugs at
reduced prices. One such program is the federal 340B drug pricing
program. The 340B price for a prescription drug is often
significantly lower than the WAC price for the drug that
non-covered entities such as retail pharmacies typically pay. While
a lower price than the WAC price may be available under various
other pricing programs (such as a GPO price available to a member
of a GPO), the 340B price for a prescription drug is generally the
lowest price at which the drug can be purchased.
[0013] In order to be eligible to purchase a prescription drug at
the 340B price, however, a covered entity must meet certain
requirements. One such requirement may be that the prescription
drug be a covered prescription drug that qualifies for 340B
pricing. Another requirement may be that the prescription drug be
dispensed to an outpatient. For example, a covered entity such as a
DSH hospital, children's hospital, or the like may be required to
dispense the prescription drug to an outpatient in order to qualify
for 340B pricing for the drug.
[0014] In certain example scenarios, a covered entity may contract
with a non-covered entity (e.g., a retail pharmacy) such that a
covered entity may replenish the prescription drug at the 340B
price despite the fact that a non-covered entity (the retail
pharmacy) dispensed the drug. In such scenarios, the retail
pharmacy may continue to purchase the drug at the WAC price while
the covered entity may be allowed to replenish its own inventory of
the drug at the 340B price. While the retail pharmacy may charge
the covered entity a service fee under the contract, the
arrangement may nonetheless be advantageous for the covered entity
because the sum of the service charge and the 340B price for the
drug may still be less (potentially significantly less) than the
WAC price.
[0015] In such scenarios, in order to be eligible for the 340B
price, the covered entity may need to demonstrate that the
prescription drug is used to treat a condition for which the
patient that received the drug sought treatment by the covered
entity. This may be demonstrated, for example, by a correspondence
between an identifier of the prescription drug (e.g., a National
Drug Code (NDC)) and a diagnosis code specified in a patient health
record maintained at the covered entity that indicates the
condition for which the patient was treated by the covered entity
as well as an identifier associated with the treating physician
such as a National Provider Identifier (NPI) or a Drug Enforcement
Agency (DEA) number.
[0016] In order to purchase a prescription drug at the
corresponding 340B price, dispensing data for the covered entity
must indicate that a number of qualifying dispensed units of the
drug satisfies a corresponding replenishment increment threshold.
As used herein, the term "qualifying dispensed unit," "reduced
price qualifying dispensed unit," or a similar variant thereof may
refer to the smallest unit of a drug that can be dispensed under
conditions that satisfy the requirements of a reduced pricing
program such as the 340B pricing program. As previously noted, one
such requirement may be that the dispensed unit of the drug be
dispensed in an outpatient setting.
[0017] The "replenishment increment threshold" may correspond to
the number of qualifying dispensed units needed to replenish an
incremental quantity of the prescription drug at a reduced price.
In order to receive a reduced price such as a 340B price, a covered
entity may need to purchase a prescription drug in incremental
amounts where each incremental amount corresponds to a fixed amount
of the drug. For example, in the case of a prescription drug that
is dispensed in discrete units (e.g., a pill, capsule, tablet,
etc.), the minimum incremental amount that may need to be purchased
may be a fixed number of units of the drug (e.g., a bottle
containing 100 pills). Further, each pill, capsule, or tablet that
is dispensed may constitute a dispensed unit. As such, multiple
units may be dispensed to a single patient such as when a patient
fills a prescription for 30 pills of a prescription drug.
[0018] As another non-limiting example, in the case of a
prescription drug that is dispensed as a fluid or semi-fluid (e.g.,
a liquid or gel), the minimum incremental amount that may need to
be purchased in order to obtain reduced pricing may be a fixed
volume or weight of the drug. A dispensed unit for such a drug may
correspond to some fixed volume or weight of the drug that
represents a portion of the minimum incremental amount. For
example, 15 ml of a prescription drug may constitute a dispensed
unit while 300 ml may constitute the minimum incremental quantity
that can be purchased. A dispensed unit for a drug delivered in
liquid or gel form may be determined based on dosing requirements
for the drug.
[0019] Despite the theoretical availability of a 340B price for a
drug, there are a number of scenarios in which a covered entity may
not be able to obtain the 340B price for the drug. In one such
example scenario, the prescription drug may be a recently approved
drug that a covered entity has not purchased before, and thus, no
dispensing data may be available for the drug. As such, the covered
entity may not be able to demonstrate a sufficient number of
qualifying dispensed units.
[0020] In another example scenario, the dispensing data reported by
a covered entity may be stale data that fails to indicate a
sufficient number of dispensed units of a drug in order to qualify
for 340B pricing for the drug. As a non-limiting example, a covered
entity may continue to report dispensing data for a prescription
drug having a particular NDC (e.g., NDC A) despite actually
dispensing a replacement prescription drug having a different NDC
(e.g., NDC B). Accordingly, when the covered entity attempts to
purchase NDC B at the corresponding 340B price, the dispensing data
(which demonstrates dispensing of NDC A and not NDC B) may reflect
an insufficient number of dispensed units of NDC B to qualify for
the 340B price for NDC B.
[0021] In yet another example scenario, a covered entity may
dispense a compound item that includes multiple prescription drugs
each of which may have a corresponding NDC. In such scenarios, the
covered entity may actually generate a new NDC to identify the
compound item. Accordingly, the dispensing data for the compound
item may indicate the new NDC rather than the NDCs for the
component prescription drugs of the compound item, and thus, the
covered entity may fail to accumulate a sufficient number of
qualifying dispensed units for any of the component prescription
drugs to qualify for 340B pricing.
[0022] As a result of the types of example scenarios discussed
above, covered entities are increasingly finding themselves having
to replenish their prescription drug inventory at the higher WAC
prices rather than the reduced 340B prices for such drugs. In
addition, due to recent changes to the 340B pricing program,
certain types of covered entities (e.g., DSH hospitals) may be
required to purchase a prescription drug at the WAC price despite
qualifying for purchasing the drug at a lower price such as a GPO
price. That is, even in those scenarios in which a covered entity
has not accumulated enough dispensed units of a drug to qualify for
the 340B price for the drug, but does qualify for a GPO price, the
covered entity may nonetheless be required to purchase at the WAC
price depending on the type of covered entity.
[0023] Example embodiments of the disclosure relate to algorithmic
processes and associated systems for executing such processes to
optimize the purchase price of a prescription drug purchase order
such that the amount of the drug purchased at a higher price (e.g.,
a WAC price) is minimized and the amount of the drug purchased at
reduced prices such as a 340B price or a GPO price is
maximized.
[0024] In an example embodiment of the disclosure, a price
optimization system that may include one or more price optimization
computers may receive a purchase order on behalf of a covered
entity such as a DSH hospital. The purchase order may specify a
desired quantity of a prescription drug. For ease of explanation,
the purchase order will be assumed to be an order of a desired
quantity of only a single prescription drug; however, it should be
appreciated that the purchase order may specify desired quantities
for multiple prescription drugs. The purchase order may be
submitted, for example, via a purchase order web portal.
[0025] Upon receipt of the purchase order, the price optimization
system may determine, based on dispensing data relating to
dispenses of the prescription drug by the covered entity, whether
the covered entity has accumulated enough qualifying dispense units
to satisfy a replenishment threshold for the desired quantity of
the prescription drug. For example, the purchase order may be for 5
bottles of a prescription drug dispensed in tablet form where each
bottle contains 100 tablets. As such, in this illustrative example,
the replenishment increment threshold is 100 and the replenishment
threshold for the desired quantity specified in the purchase order
is 500.
[0026] If the covered entity has accumulated enough qualifying
dispensed units to satisfy the replenishment threshold for the
desired quantity of the drug (e.g., the dispensing data indicates
that at least 500 tablets were cumulatively dispensed to one or
more outpatients), then the covered entity may be permitted to
replenish its inventory with the desired quantity of the drug at
the 340B price.
[0027] In those scenarios in which the dispensing data fails to
indicate a sufficient number of qualifying dispensed units to
purchase the entire desired quantity, the covered entity would have
conventionally been required to purchase one or more replenishment
increments of the drug at a higher price such as the WAC price. For
example, if the covered entity is seeking to purchase 5 100-pill
bottles of a prescription drug and has only accumulated enough
qualifying dispensed units to purchase 2 bottles at the 340B price,
the covered entity would be required to purchase the additional 3
bottles at a GPO price or a WAC price under conventional solutions.
Moreover, as a result of the changes to the 340B pricing program
noted above, even if the GPO price is available for one or more of
the 3 bottles, certain types of covered entities may be required to
purchase the 3 bottles at the WAC price.
[0028] In contrast to conventional solutions, in those scenarios in
which a covered entity has failed to accumulate enough qualifying
dispensed units to obtain 340B pricing for an entire desired
quantity of a prescription drug, the price optimization system may
be configured to perform processing to determine whether a generic
equivalent of the prescription drug can be purchased at one or more
reduced prices in lieu of purchasing the prescription drug at a
higher price such as the WAC price.
[0029] More specifically, the price optimization system may
determine a price breakdown for the prescription drug based on the
dispensing data available for the prescription drug. Continuing
with the example introduced above, the price optimization system
may determine that 2 bottles of the prescription drug can be
purchased at the 340B price while 3 bottles must be purchased at
the WAC price.
[0030] The price optimization system may also receive information
identifying generic equivalents for the prescription drug. As used
herein, a "generic equivalent" of a prescription drug may refer to
a drug that is comparable to the prescription drug in dosage from,
strength, route of administration, quality and performance
characteristics, and/or intended use. Upon receiving the generic
equivalents information, the price optimization system may select a
predetermined number of candidate generic equivalents based on
pricing data and distribution center inventory data available for
the generic equivalents.
[0031] More specifically, the price optimization system may rank
the generic equivalents based on the pricing data and distribution
center inventory data. For example, a generic equivalent that has a
lower reduced price (e.g., a lower 340B price) may be ranked higher
than a generic equivalent that has a higher reduced price.
Similarly, if the distribution center data indicates that the
distribution center inventory includes a sufficient quantity of a
particular generic equivalent to meet the desired quantity of the
prescription drug specified in the purchase order, that generic
equivalent may be ranked higher than another generic equivalent
that is not adequately stocked at the distribution center. The
price optimization system may then select a predetermined number of
highest ranking generic equivalents as candidates for substituting
for at least a portion of the desired quantity of the prescription
drug.
[0032] Upon selecting the candidate generic equivalents, the price
optimization system may select a particular generic equivalent that
has the greatest quantity eligible for purchase at a reduced price
such as the 340B price or a particular generic equivalent that has
the lowest combined price for the desired quantity. More
specifically, in certain example embodiments, the price
optimization system may determine, for each candidate generic
equivalent, a respective quantity of the candidate generic
equivalent that can be purchased at a reduced price such as the
340B price (e.g., the number of replenishment increments that can
be purchased at the 340B price). This determination may be based on
dispensing data indicating qualifying dispensed units by the
covered entity for each of the candidate generic equivalents.
[0033] Referring again to the non-limiting example involving a
purchase order for 5 100-tablet bottles of a prescription drug, and
assuming that two generic equivalents (e.g., generic equivalent A
and generic equivalent B) have been identified as candidates, the
dispensing data for generic equivalent A may indicate that the
covered entity dispensed 312 qualifying dispensed units of generic
equivalent A and 415 qualifying dispensed units of generic
equivalent B. In such an example scenario, the price optimization
system may determine that 3 bottles of generic equivalent A can be
purchased at the corresponding 340B price, 1 bottle can be
purchased at a GPO price, and 1 bottle must be purchased at the WAC
price. Similarly, for generic equivalent B, the price optimization
system may determine that 4 bottles of generic equivalent B can be
purchased at the corresponding 340B price and that the remaining
bottle must be purchased at the WAC price.
[0034] In the example scenario described above, since a greater
quantity of generic equivalent B is eligible for purchase at the
340B price as compared to generic equivalent A, generic equivalent
B may be selected as the optimized generic equivalent to
potentially substitute for the prescription drug originally
specified in the purchase order. In alternative embodiments, if the
combined price of the purchase of 5 bottles of generic equivalent A
is less than the combined price of the purchase of 5 bottles of
generic equivalent B, generic equivalent A may instead be selected
as the optimized generic equivalent to potentially substitute for
the prescription drug originally specified in the purchase
order.
[0035] Upon selecting a particular generic equivalent, the price
optimization system may generate proposed updated purchase order
information by substituting at least the quantity of the
prescription drug required to be purchased at the WAC price for an
equivalent quantity of the selected generic equivalent eligible for
purchase at a reduced price such as the 340B price, and may
communicate the proposed updated purchase order information for
presentation to the representative of the covered entity that
submitted the original purchase order.
[0036] The representative (e.g., a wholesale purchaser) acting on
behalf of the covered entity may be provided with the option of
accepting the proposed purchase order, modifying it, or cancelling
it. Modifications to the proposed purchased order may include
removing any incremental quantities that must be purchased at the
WAC price that might remain in the proposed purchase order. In
certain example embodiments, the modified or accepted purchase
order may be received by the price optimization system which may,
in turn, communicate the modified or accepted purchase order to a
wholesale fulfillment system for fulfillment. In other example
embodiments, the modified or accepted purchase order may be
communicated via the web portal to the wholesale fulfillment system
without the further involvement of the price optimization system.
In such embodiments, however, the price optimization system may
nonetheless receive a notification that the proposed order has been
accepted or modified. Upon receiving an indication that a purchase
order has been submitted (e.g., a proposed purchase order has been
accepted or modified and submitted for fulfillment), the price
optimization system may update corresponding dispensing data to
remove any accumulations of qualifying dispensed units that served
as a basis for obtaining a replenishment increment of a drug.
[0037] While example embodiments described herein may indicate that
a particular generic equivalent may be chosen to replace at least a
portion of the desired quantity of a prescription drug in a
purchase order, it should be appreciated that various combinations
of generic equivalents may be chosen in certain example
embodiments. Referring again to the non-limiting example introduced
above, various combinations of generic equivalent A and generic
equivalent B may be purchased at the 340B price in a quantity
sufficient to match the entire desired quantity of the prescription
drug. For example, if an amount of qualifying dispensed units
accumulated for the prescription drug are insufficient to satisfy
the minimum replenishment threshold for even a single replenishment
increment at the 340B price, the purchase order may be updated to
entirely remove the original prescription product and to instead
include 4 bottles of generic equivalent B at the 340B price and 1
bottle of generic equivalent A at the 340B price. In addition, in
certain example embodiments, even if some portion of the desired
quantity of the prescription drug is available for purchase at the
340B price, the prescription drug may nonetheless be entirely
substituted for one or more generic equivalents that are eligible
for reduced pricing for the entire desired quantity. In still other
embodiments, an amount of a generic equivalent equal to the entire
desired quantity of the prescription drug may be substituted for
the prescription drug even if some portion of the generic
equivalent must be purchased at a higher price such as the WAC
price.
[0038] Example embodiments disclosed herein provide a number of
technical effects or advantages over conventional solutions
including, without limitation, providing significant cost savings
to a covered entity by identifying generic equivalents that can be
purchased at a reduced price such as a 340B price in greater
quantities than a corresponding prescription drug can be purchased
and modifying a purchase order to substitute the identified generic
equivalents for at least a portion of the desired quantity of the
prescription drug.
[0039] One or more illustrative embodiments of the disclosure have
been described above. The above-described embodiments are merely
illustrative of the scope of this disclosure and are not intended
to be limiting in any way. Accordingly, variations, modifications,
and equivalents of embodiments disclosed herein are also within the
scope of this disclosure. In addition, it should be appreciated
that the example technical effects described above are merely
illustrative and not exhaustive. The above-described embodiments
and additional and/or alternative embodiments of the disclosure
will be described in detail hereinafter through reference to the
accompanying drawings.
Illustrative System Architecture
[0040] FIG. 1 is a schematic depiction of an illustrative system
architecture 100 for performing purchase price optimizations for
prescription product purchase orders in accordance with one or more
example embodiments of the disclosure.
[0041] The system architecture 100 may include one or more price
optimization computers 102 (at times collectively referred to
herein as a price optimization system), one or more web portal host
computers 104, one or more covered entity devices 106 operable by
one or more users 108, one or more distribution center computers
110, and one or more other computers 112. While the price
optimization computer(s) 102, the web portal host computer(s) 104,
the covered entity device(s) 106, the distribution center
computer)(s) 110, and the other computer(s) 112 may at times be
referred to herein in the singular, it should be appreciated that
multiple ones of any of the components of the architecture 100 may
be provided.
[0042] One or more of the price optimization computer 102, the web
portal host computer 104, the covered entity device 106, the
distribution center computer 110, or the other computer 112 may
include one or more processing units that may be configured to
access and read computer-readable media having stored thereon data
and/or computer-executable instructions for implementing various
functionality described herein. Any of the illustrative components
of the architecture 100 may include or otherwise be associated with
suitable hardware, firmware, and/or software components for
transmitting and receiving data and/or computer-executable
instructions over one or more communications links or networks.
These networked devices and systems may also include any number of
processors for processing data and executing computer-executable
instructions, as well as other internal and peripheral components.
Further, these networked devices and systems may include or be in
communication with any number of suitable memory devices operable
to store data and/or computer-executable instructions. By storing
and/or executing computer-executable instructions, each of the
networked devices may form a special purpose computer or a
particular machine. As used herein, the term "computer-readable
medium" describes any form of suitable memory or data storage
device.
[0043] In addition, any of the illustrative components of the
architecture 100 may be configured to communicate with one or more
other components of the architecture via one or more networks 114.
The network(s) 114 may include, but are not limited to, any one or
more different types of communications networks such as, for
example, cable networks, public networks (e.g., the Internet),
private networks (e.g., frame-relay networks), wireless networks,
cellular networks, telephone networks (e.g., a public switched
telephone network), or any other suitable private or public
packet-switched or circuit-switched networks. Further, the
network(s) 114 may have any suitable communication range associated
therewith and may include, for example, global networks (e.g., the
Internet), metropolitan area networks (MANs), wide area networks
(WANs), local area networks (LANs), or personal area networks
(PANs). In addition, the network(s) 114 may include communication
links and associated networking devices (e.g., link-layer switches,
routers, etc.) for transmitting network traffic over any suitable
type of medium including, but not limited to, coaxial cable,
twisted-pair wire (e.g., twisted-pair copper wire), optical fiber,
a hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) medium, a microwave medium, a radio
frequency communication medium, a satellite communication medium,
or any combination thereof.
[0044] The network(s) 114 may allow for real-time, off-line, and/or
batch transactions to be transmitted between or any of the
illustrative components of the architecture. In one or more example
embodiments, the illustrative system architecture 100 may be
implemented in the context of a distributed computing environment.
Further, it should be appreciated that the illustrative system
architecture 100 may be implemented in accordance with any suitable
network configuration. For example, the network(s) 114 may include
a plurality of networks, each with devices such as gateways,
routers, linked-layer switches, and so forth for providing
connectivity between or among the various devices forming part of
the system architecture 100. In some example embodiments, dedicated
communication links may be used to connect the various devices of
the architecture 100.
[0045] The price optimization computer 102 may be configured to
access various datastores storing various types of data. The
datastores may include, for example, one or more datastores storing
distribution center inventory data 120, one or more datastores
storing dispensing data 122, one or more datastores storing pricing
data 124, and/or one or more datastores storing generic equivalency
data 126. While the various types of data are illustratively
depicted in FIG. 1 as being stored in separate datastores, it
should be appreciated that any portion of any of the types of data
may be stored in one or more of the same datastores. Further, the
types of data depicted in FIG. 1 are merely illustrative and not
exhaustive.
[0046] The distribution center inventory data 120 may have been
received from the distribution center computer 110 and may indicate
quantities of various prescription drugs and generic equivalents
that are in stock and available for shipment to covered entity
locations.
[0047] The dispensing data 122 may indicate various information
relating to prescription drug dispensing by covered entities such
as, for example, the number of qualifying dispensed units
accumulated for various prescription drugs and generic equivalents.
As previously noted, a qualified dispensed unit may correspond to a
smallest unit of a drug that can be dispensed under conditions that
satisfy the requirements of a reduced pricing program. A covered
entity may need to accumulate a number of qualifying dispensed
units that satisfies a minimum replenishment threshold before being
eligible to purchase an increment of the corresponding drug.
[0048] The price optimization computer 102 may receive the
dispensing data 122 relating to a particular covered entity from
the covered entity itself as part of, for example, a drug
utilization file or as part of healthcare claim transaction data
such as prescription claim transaction data. The price optimization
computer 102 may receive the prescription claim data from a service
provider computer 112 configured to route healthcare claim
transactions between healthcare providers and claims
processors.
[0049] The dispensing data 122 for a drug may include multiple data
records with each data record corresponding to a particular
dispensing of the drug. Each data record may indicate the number of
dispensed units and whether the units were dispensed to an
inpatient or an outpatient. For example, a code or other identifier
may be included in the data record to indicate whether the
dispensing occurred in an outpatient setting or not. In certain
example embodiments, the price optimization computer 102 may be
configured to locate, within a data record, a data field designated
for specifying whether the dispensing was outpatient or not and
extract the data populated in the data field. The price
optimization computer 102 may then query a database or otherwise
compare the extracted data against a schedule, listing, or the like
to determine whether the code identifies an outpatient or an
inpatient. In certain example embodiments, the data record may be a
healthcare claim prescription such as a prescription claim
transaction.
[0050] The pricing data 124 may include information specifying 340B
prices, GPO prices, WAC prices, and so forth for various
prescription drugs and generic equivalents. The price optimization
computer 102 may have received the pricing data 124 from one or
more other computers 112 such as, for example, one or more
computers operated by a prescription drug purchasing
organization.
[0051] In addition, the generic equivalency data 126 may identify
generic equivalents that exist for any given prescription drug and
associated information such as dosing information or the like. The
price optimization computer 102 may have previously received the
generic equivalency data 126 from one or more other computers 112
such as, for example, from one or more computers operated by a
prescription drug purchasing organization.
[0052] A user 108 acting on behalf of a covered entity may utilize
a covered entity device 106 to access a web portal 116 hosted by
the web portal host computer 104. More specifically, the user 108
may utilize a client application 118 (e.g., a web browser, a
dedicated web portal application, etc.) executing on the covered
entity device 106 to access the web portal 116. The web portal 116
may include one or more user interfaces for submitting a
prescription drug purchase order. The one or more user interfaces
of the web portal 116 may be presented to the user 108 via the
client application 118. As will be described in more detail
hereinafter, the price optimization computer 102 may receive
information pertaining to the prescription drug purchase order
submitted via the web portal 116 and may perform purchase price
optimization processing for the purchase order. The purchase price
optimization processing may include processing to determine whether
a quantity of one or more generic equivalents of the prescription
drug are available for purchase at a reduced price such as a 340B
price such that the quantity of the generic equivalent(s) can be
substituted for a corresponding quantity of the prescription drug
that must be purchased at a higher price such as a WAC price.
[0053] FIG. 2 depicts hardware and software components of an
illustrative price optimization computer 200 in accordance with one
or more example embodiments of the disclosure. In certain example
embodiments, the price optimization computer 200 may be included
among the one or more price optimization computers 102.
[0054] In an illustrative configuration, the price optimization
computer 200 may include one or more processors (processor(s)) 202,
one or more memory devices 204 (generically referred to herein as
memory 204), one or more input/output ("I/O") interface(s) 206, one
or more network interface(s) 208, and data storage 210. These
various components will be described in more detail
hereinafter.
[0055] The memory 204 of the price optimization computer 200 may
include volatile memory (memory that maintains its state when
supplied with power) such as random access memory (RAM) and/or
non-volatile memory (memory that maintains its state even when not
supplied with power) such as read-only memory (ROM), flash memory,
and so forth. In various implementations, the memory 204 may
include multiple different types of memory, such as various types
of static random access memory (SRAM), various types of dynamic
random access memory (DRAM), various types of unalterable ROM,
and/or writeable variants of ROM such as electrically erasable
programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, and so forth.
The memory 204 may include main memory as well as various forms of
cache memory such as instruction cache(s), data cache(s),
translation lookaside buffer(s) (TLBs), and so forth. Further,
cache memory such as a data cache may be a multi-level cache
organized as a hierarchy of one or more cache levels (L1, L2,
etc.).
[0056] The data storage 210 may include removable storage and/or
non-removable storage including, but not limited to, magnetic
storage, optical disk storage, and/or tape storage. The data
storage 210 may provide non-transient storage of
computer-executable instructions and other data. The data storage
210 may include storage that is internal and/or external to the
price optimization computer 200. The memory 204 and the data
storage 210, removable and/or non-removable, are examples of
computer-readable storage media (CRSM) as that term is used
herein.
[0057] The data storage 210 may store computer-executable
instructions that are loadable into the memory 204 and executable
by the processor(s) 202 to cause various operations to be
performed. The data storage 210 may additionally store data that
may be copied to memory 204 for use by the processor(s) 202 during
the execution of the computer-executable instructions. Moreover,
output data generated as a result of execution of the
computer-executable instructions by the processor(s) 202 may be
stored initially in memory 204, and may ultimately be copied to
data storage 210 for non-transient storage.
[0058] More specifically, the data storage 210 may store one or
more operating systems (O/S) 212; one or more database management
systems (DBMS) 214; one or more program modules, applications, or
the like such as, for example, one or more price optimization
modules 218, one or more candidate generic equivalents
determination module(s) 220, and one or more generic equivalent
selection module(s) 222; and various data file(s) 224. While the
candidate generic equivalents determination module(s) 220 and the
generic equivalent selection module(s) 222 are depicted as
sub-modules of the price optimization module(s) 218, it should be
appreciated that the functionality supported by any of the modules
218, 220, or 222 may be modularized in any suitable way.
[0059] The price optimization module(s) 218 may include
computer-executable instructions that responsive to execution by
one or more of the processor(s) 202 may cause operations to be
performed in connection with purchase price optimization of a
prescription drug purchase order. For example, computer-executable
instructions of the price optimization module(s) 218 may be
executed to determine whether an entire desired quantity of a
prescription drug specified in a purchase order is eligible for
purchase at a reduced price such as a 340B price.
[0060] If the price optimization module(s) 218 determine that some
portion of the desired quantity of the prescription drug is not
eligible for purchase at the 340B price and must be purchased at,
for example, the WAC price, computer-executable instructions of the
price optimization module(s) 218 and/or one or more of sub-modules
220 or 222 may be executed to perform further purchase price
optimization with respect to generic equivalents of the
prescription.
[0061] For example, computer-executable instructions of the
candidate generic equivalents determination module(s) 220 may be
executed to identify generic equivalents of the prescription drug,
rank the generic equivalents based on pricing data and distribution
center inventory data, and select a predetermined number of the
highest ranking generic equivalents as candidate generic
equivalents to purchase in lieu of at least a portion of the
desired quantity of the prescription drug.
[0062] Further, computer-executable instructions of the generic
equivalent selection module(s) 222 may be executed to identify a
particular generic equivalent associated with the largest quantity
eligible for purchase at a reduced price such as a 340B price.
Alternatively, the computer-executable instructions of the generic
equivalent selection module(s) 222 may be executed to identify a
generic equivalent eligible for purchase at the lowest combined
price. In still other example embodiments, multiple generic
equivalents may be selected to replace at least a portion of the
desired quantity of the prescription drug or potentially an entire
desired quantity of the prescription drug.
[0063] In certain example embodiments, the generic equivalent
eligible for purchase at the lowest combined price may not be the
same as the generic equivalent associated with the largest quantity
eligible for purchase at the lowest price (e.g., the 340B price).
For example, 7 replenishment increments of generic equivalent A may
be eligible for purchase at 340B pricing and 3 replenishment
increments may be required to be purchased at WAC pricing. In
contrast, 5 replenishment increments of generic equivalent B may be
eligible for purchase at the 340B while the other 5 replenishment
increments may be available for purchase at a GPO price. Thus,
while generic equivalent B has less replenishment increments
available for purchase at the 340B price, it may nonetheless have
the lowest combined price if the WAC price is significantly more
than the GPO price.
[0064] Upon selection of one or more generic equivalents, the price
optimization module(s) 218 may generate proposed updated purchase
order information by substituting some quantity of the one or more
generic equivalents for a corresponding quantity of the
prescription drug. The proposed updated purchase order information
may be presented to the representative of the covered entity that
submitted the original purchase order and may be accepted,
modified, or canceled by the representative of the covered
entity.
[0065] As a non-limiting example of a proposed updated purchase
order, if 5 replenishment increments of the prescription drug must
be purchased at the WAC price, a total of five increments of one or
more generic equivalents eligible for purchase at the 340B price
and/or a GPO price may be substituted for the 5 WAC price
replenishment increments. In other example embodiments, one or more
generic equivalents may be substituted for the entire desired
quantity of the prescription drug even if some quantity of the
prescription drug is eligible for purchase at a 340B price and/or
even if some quantity of the one or more generic equivalents must
be purchased at the WAC price.
[0066] As part of the processing described above, the price
optimization module(s) 218 and/or sub-modules thereof may utilize
input data included among the data file(s) 224 and/or store output
data as part of the data file(s) 224. The data file(s) 224 may
include any of the example types of data depicted in FIG. 1. In
addition, any of the example types of data depicted in FIG. 1 as
well as any suitable output data generated from purchase price
optimization processing (e.g., proposed updated purchase order
information) may be stored in one or more datastores 216.
[0067] Referring now to other illustrative components of the price
optimization computer 200, the O/S 212 may be loaded into the
memory 204 and may provide an interface between other application
software executing on the price optimization computer 200 and
hardware resources of price optimization computer 200. More
specifically, the O/S 212 may include a set of computer-executable
instructions for managing hardware resources of the price
optimization computer 200 and for providing common services to
other application programs (e.g., managing memory allocation among
various application programs). The O/S 212 may include any
operating system now known or which may be developed in the future
including, but not limited to, any server operating system, any
mainframe operating system, or any other proprietary or
non-proprietary operating system.
[0068] The DBMS 214 may be loaded into the memory 204 and may
support functionality for accessing, retrieving, storing, and/or
manipulating data stored in one or more of the datastores (not
shown), data stored in the memory 204, and/or data stored in the
data storage 210. The DBMS 214 may use any of a variety of database
models (e.g., relational model, object model, etc.) and may support
any of a variety of query languages. The datastore(s) may include
any suitable data repository including, but not limited to,
databases (e.g., relational, object-oriented, etc.), file systems,
flat files, distributed datastores in which data is stored on more
than one node of a computer network, peer-to-peer network
datastores, or the like. Any of the datastore(s) may represent data
in one or more data schemas.
[0069] The processor(s) 202 may be configured to access the memory
204 and execute computer-executable instructions stored therein.
For example, the processor(s) 202 may be configured to execute
computer-executable instructions of the various program modules of
the price optimization computer 200 to cause or facilitate various
operations to be performed in accordance with one or more
embodiments of the disclosure. The processor(s) 202 may include any
suitable processing unit capable of accepting data as input,
processing the input data in accordance with stored
computer-executable instructions, and generating output data. The
processor(s) 202 may include any type of suitable processing unit
including, but not limited to, a central processing unit, a
microprocessor, a Reduced Instruction Set Computer (RISC)
microprocessor, a Complex Instruction Set Computer (CISC)
microprocessor, a microcontroller, an Application Specific
Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA),
a System-on-a-Chip (SoC), a digital signal processor (DSP), and so
forth. Further, the processor(s) 202 may have any suitable
microarchitecture design that includes any number of constituent
components such as, for example, registers, multiplexers,
arithmetic logic units, cache controllers for controlling
read/write operations to cache memory, branch predictors, or the
like. The microarchitecture design of the processor(s) 202 may be
capable of supporting any of a variety of instruction sets.
[0070] The price optimization computer 200 may further include one
or more input/output (I/O) interfaces 206 that may facilitate the
receipt of input information by the price optimization computer 200
from one or more I/O devices as well as the output of information
from the price optimization computer 200 to the one or more I/O
devices. The I/O devices may include, for example, one or more user
interface devices that facilitate interaction between a user and
the price optimization computer 200 including, but not limited to,
a display, a keypad, a pointing device, a control panel, a touch
screen display, a remote control device, a microphone, a speaker,
and so forth. The I/O devices may further include, for example, any
number of peripheral devices such as data storage devices, printing
devices, and so forth.
[0071] As previously noted, the price optimization computer 200 may
be configured to communicate with any of a variety of other
systems, platforms, networks, devices, and so forth (e.g., a user
device 106, a web portal host computer 104, a distribution center
computer 110, one or more other computers 112, etc.) via one or
more of the network(s) 114. The price optimization computer 200 may
include one or more network interfaces 208 that may facilitate
communication between the price optimization computer 200 and any
of the systems, networks, platforms, devices, or components of the
system architecture 100.
[0072] It should be appreciated that the program modules,
applications, computer-executable instructions, code, or the like
depicted in FIG. 2 are merely illustrative and not exhaustive and
that processing described as being supported by any particular
module may alternatively be distributed across multiple modules or
performed by a different module. In addition, various program
module(s), script(s), plug-in(s), Application Programming
Interface(s) (API(s)), or any other suitable computer-executable
code hosted locally on the price optimization computer 200 and/or
hosted on other computing device(s) accessible via one or more of
the network(s) 114 may be provided to support functionality
provided by the program modules, applications, or
computer-executable code depicted in FIG. 2 and/or additional or
alternate functionality. Further, functionality may be modularized
differently such that processing described as being supported
collectively by the collection of program modules depicted in FIG.
2 may be performed by a fewer or greater number of modules, or
functionality described as being supported by any particular module
may be supported, at least in part, by another module. In addition,
program modules that support the functionality described herein may
form part of one or more applications executable across any number
of systems or devices of the system architecture 100 in accordance
with any suitable computing model such as, for example, a
client-server model, a peer-to-peer model, and so forth. In
addition, any of the functionality described as being supported by
any of the program modules depicted in FIG. 2 may be implemented,
at least partially, in hardware and/or firmware across any number
of devices.
[0073] It should further be appreciated that the price optimization
computer 200 or any illustrative component of the system
architecture 100 may include alternate and/or additional hardware,
software, or firmware components beyond those described or depicted
without departing from the scope of the disclosure. More
particularly, it should be appreciated that software, firmware, or
hardware components depicted as forming part of price optimization
computer 200 are merely illustrative and that some components may
not be present or additional components may be provided in various
embodiments. While various illustrative program modules have been
depicted as software modules stored in data storage, it should be
appreciated that functionality described as being supported by the
program modules may be enabled by any combination of hardware,
software, and/or firmware. It should further be appreciated that
each of the above-mentioned modules may, in various embodiments,
represent a logical partitioning of supported functionality. This
logical partitioning is depicted for ease of explanation of the
functionality and may not be representative of the structure of
software, hardware, and/or firmware for implementing the
functionality. Accordingly, it should be appreciated that
functionality described as being provided by a particular module
may, in various embodiments, be provided at least in part by one or
more other modules. Further, one or more depicted modules may not
be present in certain embodiments, while in other embodiments,
additional modules not depicted may be present and may support at
least a portion of the described functionality and/or additional
functionality. Moreover, while certain modules may be depicted and
described as sub-modules of another module, in certain embodiments,
such modules may be provided as independent modules or as
sub-modules of other modules.
Illustrative Data Flows and Illustrative Processes
[0074] FIG. 3 is an illustrative hybrid system and data flow
diagram depicting example data communications in connection with a
purchase price optimization for a prescription product purchase
order in accordance with one or more example embodiments of the
disclosure. FIGS. 4A-4B are process flow diagrams of an
illustrative method 400 for performing a purchase price
optimization for a prescription product purchase order in
accordance with one or more example embodiments of the
disclosure.
[0075] One or more operations of the method 400 may be described
herein as being performed by the price optimization computer 200,
or more specifically, one or more program modules executing on the
price optimization computer 200 such as, for example, the price
optimization module(s) 218, the candidate generic equivalents
determination module(s) 220, and/or the generic equivalent
selection module(s) 222. It should be appreciated, however, that
any of the operations of the method 400 may be performed by another
device or component of the system architecture 100 such as, for
example, the web portal host computer 104, one or more of the other
computer(s) 112, or the like. In addition, it should be appreciated
that processing performed in response to execution of
computer-executable instructions provided as part of an
application, program module, or the like (e.g., computer-executable
instructions of the price optimization module(s) 218) may be
interchangeably described herein as being performed by the
application or the program module itself, by a device on which the
application, program module, or the like is executing, or by a
system that includes such a device. While the operations of the
method 400 may be described in the context of the illustrative
system architecture 100 and the illustrative device configuration
depicted in FIG. 2, it should be appreciated the method 400 may be
implemented in connection with numerous other architectural and
device level configurations.
[0076] Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4A in conjunction with each other,
at block 402, the price optimization computer 200 may receive, on
behalf of a covered entity, a purchase order 302 specifying a
desired quantity of a prescription drug. For ease of explanation,
the purchase order 302 will be described as specifying a desired
quantity for only a single prescription drug; however, it should be
appreciated that the purchase order 302 may specify desired
quantities for multiple prescription drugs. The purchase order 302
may be submitted, for example, via the web portal 116. More
specifically, a user 108 (e.g., a wholesale purchaser) acting on
behalf of the covered entity may access the web portal 116 using
the client application 118 executable on a covered entity device
106, and may select a prescription drug and a desired quantity and
submit the purchase order 302 via the web portal 116.
[0077] At block 404, upon receipt of the purchase order 302, the
price optimization computer 200 may retrieve dispensing data 304
for the prescription drug. The dispensing data 304 may be included
in the dispensing data 122 corresponding to a variety of
prescription drugs or generic equivalents. The dispensing data 304
may have been previously received as part of a drug utilization
file or as part of healthcare claim transaction data.
Alternatively, the dispensing data 304 may be received in
association with the purchase order 302 or responsive to a request
generated by the price optimization computer 200.
[0078] At block 406, computer-executable instructions of the price
optimization module(s) 218 may be executed to determine, based on
dispensing data 304 for the prescription drug by the covered
entity, whether the covered entity has accumulated enough
qualifying dispense units to satisfy a replenishment threshold for
the desired quantity of the prescription drug. For example, the
purchase order may be for 10 bottles of a prescription drug
dispensed in capsule form where each bottle contains 100 tablets.
As such, in this illustrative example, the replenishment increment
threshold is 100 and the replenishment threshold for the desired
quantity specified in the purchase order is 1000.
[0079] In response to a positive determination at block 406, the
covered entity may be eligible to replenish its inventory with the
entire desired quantity of the drug at the 340B price, and the
method 400 may proceed to block 408 where the price optimization
computer 408 may transmit or direct transmission of the purchase
order 302 to a wholesale fulfillment computer 112 for fulfillment.
A positive determination may be made at block 406 if the covered
entity has accumulated enough qualifying dispensed units to satisfy
the replenishment threshold for the desired quantity of the
prescription drug (e.g., the dispensing data indicates that at
least 1000 tablets were cumulatively dispensed to one or more
outpatients).
[0080] A negative determination may be made at block 406 if the
dispensing data for the prescription drug fails to indicate a
sufficient number of qualifying dispensed units of the prescription
drug to be eligible to purchase the entire desired quantity of the
drug at the 340B price. In response to a negative determination at
block 406, the method 400 may proceed to block 410 where
computer-executable instructions of the price optimization
module(s) 218 may be executed to determine a price/quantity
breakdown for the purchase order. More specifically, a respective
quantity of the prescription drug eligible for purchase at each of
one or more reduced prices (e.g., a 340B price, a GPO price, etc.)
may be determined, and a respective quantity of the prescription
drug that is required to be purchase at an increased price such as
a WAC price may be determined. Continuing with the non-limiting
example introduced above, if the covered entity is seeking to
purchase 10 100-capsule bottles of a prescription drug, and has
only accumulated enough qualifying dispensed units to purchase 2
bottles at the 340B price, the price/quantity breakdown may include
2 bottles eligible for the 340B price, 5 bottles eligible for a GPO
price, and 3 bottles that must be purchased at the WAC price.
Another example price/quantity breakdown for the prescription drug
may include 2 bottles eligible for purchase at the 340B price and 8
bottles that must be purchased at the WAC price. It should be
appreciated that the above examples are merely illustrative and not
exhaustive.
[0081] At block 410, the price optimization computer 200 may
retrieve generic equivalency data 304 identifying generic
equivalents that exist for the prescription drug. The generic
equivalency data 304 may form part of the generic equivalency data
126 corresponding to multiple prescription drugs. The generic
equivalency data 126 may include a schedule, listing, mapping, or
the like of NDCs for prescription drugs to NDCs for generic
equivalents of the prescription drugs. In certain example
embodiments, the price optimization computer 200 may access the
dispensing data 122 to retrieve, as the generic equivalency data
306, those generic equivalent NDCs that map to the NDC for the
prescription drug identified in the purchase order 302. In certain
example embodiments, the generic equivalency data 306 for the
prescription drug identified in the purchase order 302 may not have
been previously stored, but may be received in association with the
purchase order 302 (e.g., as part of or in connection with the data
feed that identifies the purchase order 302) or responsive to a
request generated by the price optimization computer 200.
[0082] At block 412, the price optimization computer 200 may
retrieve distribution center inventory data 308 corresponding to
the generic equivalents identified at block 410. The distribution
center inventory data 308 may indicate a respective quantity of
each of the generic equivalents that is in stock and available for
shipment. The distribution center inventory data 308 may form part
of the distribution center inventory data 120 for any number of
prescription drugs and/or generic equivalents. The distribution
center inventory data 308 may have been previously received and
stored as part of the distribution center inventory data 120 or may
be received in association with the purchase order 302 (e.g., as
part of or in connection with the data feed that identifies the
purchase order 302) or responsive to a request generated by the
price optimization computer 200.
[0083] At block 416, the price optimization computer 200 may
retrieve pricing data 310 for the generic equivalents identified at
block 410. The pricing data 310 may form part of the pricing data
124 for any number of prescription drugs and/or generic
equivalents. The pricing data 310 may indicate 340B pricing, GPO
pricing, and/or WAC pricing for each of the generic equivalents
identified at block 410. The pricing data 310 may have been
previously received and stored as part of the pricing data 124 or
may be received in association with the purchase order 302 or
responsive to a request generated by the price optimization
computer 200. For example, the pricing data 310 may be retrieved at
block 416 from database tables stored in one or more of the
datastore(s). The database tables containing the pricing data 124
may have been received from, for example, one or more other
computers 112 as part of a periodic data feed.
[0084] At block 418, the price optimization computer 200 may
retrieve dispensing data 312 for the generic equivalents identified
at block 410. The dispensing data 312 may be included in the
dispensing data 122 corresponding to a variety of prescription
drugs or generic equivalents. The dispensing data 312 may have been
previously received as part of a drug utilization file or as part
of healthcare claim transaction data. Alternatively, the dispensing
data 312 may be received in association with the purchase order 302
or responsive to a request generated by the price optimization
computer 200.
[0085] At block 420, computer-executable instructions of the
candidate generic equivalents determination module(s) 220 may be
executed to identify a predetermined number of candidate generic
equivalents based at least in part on corresponding pricing data
310 and distribution center inventory data 308. More specifically,
computer-executable instructions of the candidate generic
equivalents determination module(s) 220 may be executed to generate
a ranking of the generic equivalents based at least in part on the
pricing data 310 and the distribution center inventory data 308.
For example, a generic equivalent that has a lower reduced price
(e.g., a lower 340B price) may be ranked higher than a generic
equivalent that has a higher reduced price. Similarly, if the
distribution center data 308 indicates that the distribution center
inventory includes a sufficient quantity of a particular generic
equivalent to meet the desired quantity of the prescription drug
specified in the purchase order, that generic equivalent may be
ranked higher than another generic equivalent that is not
adequately stocked at the distribution center. A predetermined
number (e.g., 10) of highest ranking generic equivalents may be
identified as candidates for substituting for at least a portion of
the desired quantity of the prescription drug.
[0086] Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4B in conjunction with each
other, at block 422, computer-executable instructions of the
generic equivalent selection module(s) 222 may be executed to
evaluate the dispensing data 312 to determine, for each candidate
generic equivalent identified at block 420, a respective quantity
of the generic equivalent eligible for purchase at each of one or
more reduced prices. For example, the generic equivalent selection
module(s) 222 may evaluate the dispensing data 312 to determine the
number of dispensed units of each candidate generic equivalent
qualifying for a 340B price, compare the number of qualifying
dispensed units against the replenishment increment threshold for
the generic equivalent (which may be the same as the replenishment
increment threshold for the corresponding prescription drug), and
determine the number of replenishment increments eligible for the
340B price. A similar process may be executed to determine, for
each candidate generic equivalent, the number of replenishment
increments eligible for a reduced price under another drug pricing
program (e.g., a GPO price). In certain example embodiments, the
number of replenishment increments that must be purchased at a WAC
price may also be determined for one or more of the candidate
generic equivalents.
[0087] At block 424, computer-executable instructions of the
generic equivalent selection module(s) 222 may be executed to
identify and select a candidate generic equivalent associated with
a largest quantity (e.g., a highest number of replenishment
increments) eligible for purchase at the 340B price. Alternatively,
computer-executable instructions of the generic equivalent
selection module(s) 222 may be executed to identify and select a
candidate generic equivalent associated with a lowest combined
price of the desired quantity. In still other example embodiments,
multiple candidate generic equivalents may be selected if, for
example, a total quantity of the multiple candidate generic
equivalents eligible for 340B pricing meets or exceeds the desired
quantity of the prescription drug identified in the purchase order
302.
[0088] Referring again to the non-limiting example involving a
purchase order for 10 100-tablet bottles of a prescription drug,
and assuming that two generic equivalents (e.g., generic equivalent
A and generic equivalent B) have been identified as candidates, the
dispensing data for generic equivalent A may indicate that the
covered entity dispensed 612 qualifying dispensed units of generic
equivalent A and 815 qualifying dispensed units of generic
equivalent B. In such an example scenario, the generic equivalent
selection module(s) 222 may determine that 6 bottles of generic
equivalent A can be purchased at the corresponding 340B price, 4
bottles can be purchased at a GPO price, and no bottles must be
purchased at the WAC price. Similarly, for generic equivalent B,
the generic equivalent selection module(s) 222 may determine that 8
bottles of generic equivalent B can be purchased at the
corresponding 340B price and that the remaining 2 bottles must be
purchased at the WAC price.
[0089] In the example scenario described above, since a greater
quantity of generic equivalent B is eligible for purchase at the
340B price as compared to generic equivalent A, generic equivalent
B may be selected at block 424 as the optimized generic equivalent
to potentially substitute for the prescription drug originally
specified in the purchase order 302. In alternative embodiments, if
the combined price of the purchase of 10 bottles of generic
equivalent A is less than the combined price of the purchase of 10
bottles of generic equivalent B (which may be the case if the WAC
price for generic equivalent B is significantly more than the GPO
price for generic equivalent A), generic equivalent A may instead
be selected as the optimized generic equivalent to potentially
substitute for the prescription drug originally specified in the
purchase order 302.
[0090] At block 426, upon selecting one or more generic equivalents
at block 424, computer-executable instructions of the price
optimization module(s) 218 may be executed to generate proposed
updated purchase order information 314 by substituting at least the
quantity of the prescription drug required to be purchased at the
WAC price for an equivalent quantity of the selected one or more
generic equivalents eligible for purchase at a reduced price such
as the 340B price, and may communicate the proposed updated
purchase order information 314 for presentation to the
representative of the covered entity that submitted the original
purchase order 302. More specifically, the proposed updated
purchase order information may be transmitted to the web portal
host computer 104 for presentation to the representative of the
covered entity on a user interface of the web portal 116 rendered
on the client application 118.
[0091] The representative (e.g., a wholesale purchaser) acting on
behalf of the covered entity may be provided with the option of
accepting the proposed purchase order, modifying it, or cancelling
it. At block 428, the price optimization computer 200 may receive
an indication 316 of an acceptance, modification, or cancelation of
the proposed updated purchase order information 314.
[0092] At block 430, the price optimization computer 200 may
determine whether the received indication 314 corresponds to a
modification of the proposed updated purchase order information
314. Modifications to the proposed purchased order information may
include removing any replenishment increments that must be
purchased at the WAC price that might remain in the proposed
purchase order information 314. In response to a positive
determination at block 430, the price optimization computer 200
may, at block 432, transmit or direct transmission of the modified
purchase order to a wholesale fulfillment system 112 for
fulfillment, at which point, the method 400 may end.
[0093] In response to a negative determination at block 430, the
price optimization computer 200 may determine whether the
indication 314 corresponds to an acceptance of the proposed updated
purchase order information 314. In response to a positive
determination at block 434, the price optimization computer 200
may, at block 436, transmit or direct transmission of the accepted
purchase order to a wholesale fulfillment system 112 for
fulfillment, at which point, the method 400 may end.
[0094] In response to a negative determination at block 434, the
price optimization computer 200 may determine that the proposed
updated purchase order information 314 has been rejected and that
the purchase order 302 has been canceled, at which point, the
method 400 may end.
[0095] In certain other example embodiments, a modified or accepted
purchase order may be communicated via the web portal to the
wholesale fulfillment system without the further involvement of the
price optimization computer 200. In such embodiments, however, the
price optimization computer 202 may nonetheless receive a
notification that the proposed order has been accepted or modified.
Upon receiving an indication that a purchase order has been
submitted (e.g., a proposed purchase order has been accepted or
modified and submitted for fulfillment), the price optimization
computer 200 may update corresponding dispensing data to remove any
accumulations of qualifying dispensed units that served as a basis
for obtaining a replenishment increment of a drug in the submitted
purchase order.
[0096] While example embodiments described herein may indicate that
a particular generic equivalent may be chosen to replace at least a
portion of the desired quantity of a prescription drug in a
purchase order, it should be appreciated that various combinations
of generic equivalents may be chosen in certain example
embodiments. Referring again to the non-limiting example introduced
above, various combinations of generic equivalent A and generic
equivalent B may be purchased at the 340B price in a quantity
sufficient to match the entire desired quantity of the prescription
drug. For example, if an amount of qualifying dispensed units
accumulated for the prescription drug are insufficient to satisfy
the minimum replenishment threshold for even a single replenishment
increment at the 340B price, the purchase order may be updated to
entirely remove the original prescription product and to instead
include, for example, 5 bottles of generic equivalent B at the 340B
price and 5 bottles of generic equivalent A at the 340B price (or
any other suitable combination). In addition, in certain example
embodiments, even if some portion of the desired quantity of the
prescription drug is available for purchase at the 340B price, the
prescription drug may nonetheless be entirely substituted for one
or more generic equivalents that are eligible for reduced pricing
for the entire desired quantity. In still other embodiments, an
amount of a generic equivalent equal to the entire desired quantity
of the prescription drug may be substituted for the prescription
drug even if some portion of the generic equivalent must be
purchased at a higher price such as the WAC price.
[0097] The operations described and depicted in the illustrative
method of FIGS. 4A-4B may be carried out or performed in any
suitable order as desired in various example embodiments of the
disclosure. Additionally, in certain example embodiments, at least
a portion of the operations may be carried out in parallel.
Furthermore, in certain example embodiments, less, more, or
different operations than those depicted in FIGS. 4A-4B may be
performed. In addition, various modifications, alternatives, and so
forth to the illustrative data flows of FIG. 3 are within the scope
of this disclosure.
[0098] While certain example embodiments disclosed herein have been
described as involving the transmission or receipt of data between
the price optimization computer 200 and other illustrative
components of the illustrative architecture 100, in certain other
example embodiments, such transmissions may be internal
transmissions occurring within the price optimization computer 200
or may be omitted altogether. Further, while example embodiments
described herein with reference to FIGS. 1-4B describe certain
example operations as occurring at or being performed by one or
more price optimization computers 200 or certain example data
transmissions as originating at or being received by one or more
price optimization computers 200, in alternative example
embodiments, such example data transmissions may originate at or
may be received by, or such example operations may occur at or may
be performed by, the web portal host computer(s) 104, the covered
entity device(s) 106, the distribution center computer(s) 110, the
other computer(s) 112, another separate and distinct computer or
computer system, a combination of two or more such devices, and/or
a combination of one or more such devices along with one or more
price optimization computers 200. In such alternate example
embodiments, certain transmission/receiving steps and/or certain
data transmissions described above with reference to FIGS. 1-4B may
be omitted while others may be added, as will be understood by one
of ordinary skill in the art. The intent being that, in alternate
example embodiments, any of the devices/computers described and
depicted with respect to FIG. 1 are capable of performing any one
or more operations or originating/receiving any one or more data
transmissions of any of the methods described with reference to
FIGS. 1-4B.
[0099] Although specific embodiments of the disclosure have been
described, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that
numerous other modifications and alternative embodiments are within
the scope of the disclosure. For example, any of the functionality
and/or processing capabilities described with respect to a
particular device or component may be performed by any other device
or component. Further, while various illustrative implementations
and architectures have been described in accordance with
embodiments of the disclosure, one of ordinary skill in the art
will appreciate that numerous other modifications to the
illustrative implementations and architectures described herein are
also within the scope of this disclosure.
[0100] Certain aspects of the disclosure are described above with
reference to block and flow diagrams of systems, methods,
apparatuses, and/or computer program products according to example
embodiments. It will be understood that one or more blocks of the
block diagrams and flow diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the
block diagrams and the flow diagrams, respectively, may be
implemented by execution of computer-executable program
instructions. Likewise, some blocks of the block diagrams and flow
diagrams may not necessarily need to be performed in the order
presented, or may not necessarily need to be performed at all,
according to some embodiments. Further, additional components
and/or operations beyond those depicted in blocks of the block
and/or flow diagrams may be present in certain embodiments.
[0101] Accordingly, blocks of the block diagrams and flow diagrams
support combinations of means for performing the specified
functions, combinations of elements or steps for performing the
specified functions, and program instruction means for performing
the specified functions. It will also be understood that each block
of the block diagrams and flow diagrams, and combinations of blocks
in the block diagrams and flow diagrams, may be implemented by
special-purpose, hardware-based computer systems that perform the
specified functions, elements or steps, or combinations of
special-purpose hardware and computer instructions.
[0102] Program modules, applications, or the like disclosed herein
may include one or more software components including, for example,
software objects, methods, data structures, or the like. Each such
software component may include computer-executable instructions
that, responsive to execution, cause at least a portion of the
functionality described herein (e.g., one or more operations of the
illustrative methods described herein) to be performed.
[0103] A software component may be coded in any of a variety of
programming languages. An illustrative programming language may be
a lower-level programming language such as an assembly language
associated with a particular hardware architecture and/or operating
system platform. A software component comprising assembly language
instructions may require conversion into executable machine code by
an assembler prior to execution by the hardware architecture and/or
platform.
[0104] Another example programming language may be a higher-level
programming language that may be portable across multiple
architectures. A software component comprising higher-level
programming language instructions may require conversion to an
intermediate representation by an interpreter or a compiler prior
to execution.
[0105] Other examples of programming languages include, but are not
limited to, a macro language, a shell or command language, a job
control language, a script language, a database query or search
language, or a report writing language. In one or more example
embodiments, a software component comprising instructions in one of
the foregoing examples of programming languages may be executed
directly by an operating system or other software component without
having to be first transformed into another form.
[0106] A software component may be stored as a file or other data
storage construct. Software components of a similar type or
functionally related may be stored together such as, for example,
in a particular directory, folder, or library. Software components
may be static (e.g., pre-established or fixed) or dynamic (e.g.,
created or modified at the time of execution).
[0107] Software components may invoke or be invoked by other
software components through any of a wide variety of mechanisms.
Invoked or invoking software components may comprise other
custom-developed application software, operating system
functionality (e.g., device drivers, data storage (e.g., file
management) routines, other common routines and services, etc.), or
third-party software components (e.g., middleware, encryption, or
other security software, database management software, file
transfer or other network communication software, mathematical or
statistical software, image processing software, and format
translation software).
[0108] Software components associated with a particular solution or
system may reside and be executed on a single platform or may be
distributed across multiple platforms. The multiple platforms may
be associated with more than one hardware vendor, underlying chip
technology, or operating system. Furthermore, software components
associated with a particular solution or system may be initially
written in one or more programming languages, but may invoke
software components written in another programming language.
[0109] Computer-executable program instructions may be loaded onto
a special-purpose computer or other particular machine, a
processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to
produce a particular machine, such that execution of the
instructions on the computer, processor, or other programmable data
processing apparatus causes one or more functions or operations
specified in the flow diagrams to be performed. These computer
program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable
storage medium (CRSM) that upon execution may direct a computer or
other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a
particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the
computer-readable storage medium produce an article of manufacture
including instruction means that implement one or more functions or
operations specified in the flow diagrams. The computer program
instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other
programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of
operational elements or steps to be performed on the computer or
other programmable apparatus to produce a computer-implemented
process.
[0110] Additional types of CRSM that may be present in any of the
devices described herein may include, but are not limited to,
programmable random access memory (PRAM), SRAM, DRAM, RAM, ROM,
electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash
memory or other memory technology, compact disc read-only memory
(CD-ROM), digital versatile disc (DVD) or other optical storage,
magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other
magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to
store the information and which can be accessed. Combinations of
any of the above are also included within the scope of CRSM.
Alternatively, computer-readable communication media (CRCM) may
include computer-readable instructions, program modules, or other
data transmitted within a data signal, such as a carrier wave, or
other transmission. However, as used herein, CRSM does not include
CRCM.
[0111] Although embodiments have been described in language
specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is
to be understood that the disclosure is not necessarily limited to
the specific features or acts described. Rather, the specific
features and acts are disclosed as illustrative forms of
implementing the embodiments. Conditional language, such as, among
others, "can," "could," "might," or "may," unless specifically
stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as
used, is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments
could include, while other embodiments do not include, certain
features, elements, and/or steps. Thus, such conditional language
is not generally intended to imply that features, elements, and/or
steps are in any way required for one or more embodiments or that
one or more embodiments necessarily include logic for deciding,
with or without user input or prompting, whether these features,
elements, and/or steps are included or are to be performed in any
particular embodiment.
* * * * *